The Impact of Evidence-Based Transformation on Healthcare Practices at a Teaching Hospital.

ABSTRACT

Objective In this study, we aimed to compare the frequency of anemia, blood transfusions, and the use of antimicrobial therapy (AMT) before the implementation of standard protocols in obstetrics and gynecology with the data after one year of implementation at a teaching hospital. Methods In this retrospective observational study, the pre-intervention data (group A) were compared to the data after the implementation of standard protocols (group B). Data were retrieved from hospital electronic medical records and were entered and analyzed on SPSS Statistics version 24 (IBM, Armonk, NY). Results In obstetrics (n=829), anemia was observed in 43.1% vs. 26.8% (p<0.001) and transfusion rate in 5.4% vs. 0.6% (p<0.001) in the groups A and B respectively. In vaginal deliveries (VD), the use of AMT for >24 hours was 98% in group A vs. 9% in group B, and in cesarean deliveries (CD), it was 100% in group A vs. 54.5% in group B (p<0.001). The cost of AMT decreased by 78.4% in VD and by 51.1% in CD. In gynecology (n=221), the prevalence of anemia was 22.6% in group A vs. 17.9% in group B (p=NS). In minor procedures, the use of AMT for >24 hours was 76.7% vs. 8.4% (p<0.001), and in major procedures, it was 86.5% vs. 38% (p<0.001) between the two groups. The cost of AMT decreased by 79.5% in minor procedures and 26.4% in major procedures. Conclusion The implementation of quality standards can bring about significant improvements in clinical outcomes in a short period of time.